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Tsagaan Sar is the Mongolian lunar New Year's festival. It is often
celebrated around the same time as the >Chinese New Year (sometimes a lunar
month later). However, the Mongolian Tsagaan Sar is culturally more related
to the Tibetan New Year or Losar than to the Chinese New Year. Both Tibetan
Calendar and Mongolian Calendar are slightly modified version of the
traditional Chinese Calendar.

The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon
following the winter solstice. In 2008, White Moon falls on Feb. 8th.
Tsagaan Sar is one of the most important Mongolian holidays.

Around the New Year people greet each other by saying 'Amar mend uu?' or
'Amar bain uu?', a very formal greeting which one says to one's elders.
Mongolians also visit friends and family on this day and exchange gifts. A
typical Mongolian family will meet in the home dwelling of the eldest in the
family. When greeting their elders during the White Moon festival,
Mongolians grasp them by their elbows to show support for them. The eldest
receives greetings from each member of the family except for his spouse.
During the greeting ceremony, family members hold long pieces of colored
cloth called khadag. After the ceremony, the family eats buuz and drinks
arkhi, and exchanges gifts.

The day before Tsagaan Sar is called "Bituun". On this day, families gather
together--immediate family usually,in contrast to the large feast gatherings
of White Moon day--and see out the old year. Traditionally, Mongolians settle all issues and repay all debts from the old year by this day.
Mongolians eat their fill at the Bituun meal, as tradition says that if you
are hungry after Bituun you will be hungry for the whole coming year.

Traditional food for the festival includes a grilled side of sheep and minced
beef or minced lamb steamed inside pastry, a dish known as buuz. horse meat
and traditional cookies. Tsagaan Sar is a lavish feast, requiring preparation
days in advance, as the women make large quantities of buuz and freeze them
to save for the holiday.